Rich, famous, beautiful, and talented, Betty Grable and Harry James were a Hollywood superstar couple. Following Down Argentine Way's major success, Grable was cast opposite Alice Faye in, Tin Pan Alley. Her first movie appearance was as a Goldwyn Girl in the musical comedy Whoopee! Because of her youthful appearance she was soon typecast in movies playing the role of a college student. Betty, Harry and the children go out on weekends and live the life of ranch hands. Though the film earned more than $3 million at the box office, it struggled to make a profit because of its high production costs. We recommend you include the following information in your citation. Her funeral was held July 5, 1973, 30 years to the day after her marriage to Harry James who, in turn, died on what would have been his and Grable's 40th anniversary, July 5, 1983. This led to a heartbreaking habit. Bettys breakout turn came in the 1940 feature Down Argentine Way, after having been in the entertainment industry for more than a decade.Betty entered into World War II one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, and she would become an even bigger name after becoming a military-endorsed pin-up girl whose picture was passed around by American soldiers. Please let us know if a fact weve published is inaccurate (or even if you just suspect its inaccurate) by reaching out to us at contribute@factinate.com. She made her film debut at the age of 12 as a chorus girl in the film Happy Days. [37], Grable was cast in That Lady in Ermine (1948), a film project that had previously been considered for either Jeanette MacDonald or Gene Tierney. She signed a contract with Paramount Pictures in the late 1930s. Lorry is a bit of a compulsive liar. Grable has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6525 Hollywood Boulevard. As a result, she finds herself "engaged" to just about every guy she dances with. They married in 1943 becoming the most popular power couple since Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. Stardom came in such comedies as Coney Island (1943) and Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943).The public was enchanted with Betty. The . In fact, many of her movies were thin when it came to their stories, but they were high on energy during their song-and-dance sequences. Grable's legs were famously insured by her studio for $1,000,000 with Lloyds of London. 1943 was a massive year for Betty Grable: She was the most valuable Hollywood star, ending the year as the top earner at the box office. Most of Grable's immediate ancestors were American, but her distant heritage was of Dutch, Irish, German and English stock. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. In 1947, she starred in the highly popular film, Mother Wore Tights in which she was cast opposite Dan Dailey. Try our quiz and enter to win $500!Click below to check the trivia question Betty Grable had been pushed into performing by her mother and started performing as a chorus girl at the age of just 13 due to her mother lying about her age. Arrives by Wed, Mar 15 Buy Betty Grable - Betty Grable & Co-Stars: The 20th Century Fox Years Volume 2: 1945-1948 - CD at Walmart.com Their response was swift and brutal. When they were together, they starred in the comedic picture Million Dollars Legs. She was entered in multiple beauty contests, many of which she won or for which she achieved considerable attention. In 1939, she appeared opposite her then-husband Jackie Coogan in Million Dollar Legs,[14] a B-movie comedy that gave Grable her famous nickname. These films included, Pigskin Parade (1936), This Way Please (1937), College Swing (1938), and Man About Town (1939). It's one of the most famous pin-up photos of all time -- Betty Grable, in a tight, one-piece bathing suit, posing with her back to the camera and looking over her shoulder. It proved to be Grable's final film appearance. When Grable showed up to the shoot, she was actually seven months pregnant. Hosiery specialists of the era often noted the ideal proportions of her legs as: thigh (18.5") calf (12"), and ankle (7.5"). All Rights Reserved. "[9], Elizabeth Ruth Grable was born on December 18, 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri,[10] the youngest of three children of Lillian Rose (ne Hofmann; 18891964) and John Conn Grable (18831954), a stockbroker. She cared more for her family than stardom.Betty Grable died at age 56 of lung cancer on July 2, 1973 in Santa Monica, California, five days before Veronica Lake's death. Housekeepers, nannies and themselves. The film was a major success, as was Grable's next film A Yank in the RAF, a World War II film; that was her first serious leading role in a major Hollywood film. 'O Blest Communion', Signe Hammer has written: The institution can answer questions about this item, assit you with obtaining a hi-res copy, and gather additional information you may have about it. [32] The picture was released as a poster and became the most requested photo for G.I.s stationed overseas. A few months following her death, Grable was memorialized in song by Neil Sedaka on a track from his 1974 LP Laughter in the Rain. Lillian and Bettys lies eventually caught up to them in the worst way possible. Gambling, smoking, affairs, Betty was far But just before she left, she got the best revenge. The beauty of her legs was so famous that her studio got her legs insured for $1,000,000, giving her the nickname, The girl with the million dollar legs. James once tried to make amends when he was far too old and an [22], In 1932, she signed a contract with RKO Radio Pictures, and she was assigned to a succession of acting, singing, and dancing classes at the studio's drama school. The couple had two daughters, Victoria and Jessica. Body shape: Hourglass: Dress size (US): 8: Breasts-Waist-Hips: 36-23-35 inches (91-58-89 cm) Closing the decade, Grable starred in The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949), an oddball movie that unevenly mixed musical numbers with Western clichs. Its your turn now.. Kauna unahang parabula na inilimbag sa bhutan? The play was an instant success for the first time in Grables life, and she used it to get back at the studios that had wronged her. Critics called the film a "slight, but cheerful, item", and proclaimed it "does serve to bring Betty Grable back to the screen". Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (19421951) she reigned in the Quigley Poll's top 10 box office stars (a feat only matched by Doris Day, Julia Roberts and Barbra Streisand, although all were surpassed by Mary Pickford, who was in for 13 times). Betty was likeable, a talented singer and dancer, and had a lovely smile, but eventually came to be best known for her beautiful legs. Thrill of a Lifetime. Factinate is a fact website that is dedicated to finding and sharing fun facts about science, history, animals, films, people, and much more. Look below the item for additional data you may want to include. and the stresses split the couple up by 1939. Wait, didnt I say this guy was a, and I quote, rabid gambler? When the United States entered WWII, Hollywood began producing content for the Americans serving abroad. Nose art featuring her is painted on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Sentimental Journey. Do you question the accuracy of a fact you just read? Was she really a model wife and. He was under considerable stress from a lawsuit against his parents over his childhood earnings and the couple divorced in 1939. Coney Island, released in June 1943, was a Technicolor "gay nineties" period musical and co-starred George Montgomery. her daughters. As soon as Betty arrived in Lansing, Governor Williams, his spouse and three youngsters referred to as on her. Grable died July 2, 1973, of lung cancer at age 56 in Santa Monica, California. [21], In 1930, at age 13, Grable (under the pseudonym Frances Dean) signed with producer Samuel Goldwyn; she thereby became one of the original Goldwyn Girls, along with Ann Sothern, Virginia Bruce, Claire Dodd and Paulette Goddard. It may be hard to believe considering the stature of Grables talent and fame, but she was incredibly insecure about her abilities. Instead of stardom, she focused on her totally normal marriage with Harry James, and the couple moved to Las Vegas. The movie was about a Broadway actress who is so successful that her husband considers her more of an asset than a wife. James was a serial philanderer who simply could not keep it in his pants, married or not. After the war, her star continued to rise. She starred along with Dan Dailey as married vaudeville performers whose children are embarrassed of their parents profession. Is it any wonder that growing up too fast had grave consequences? What are the answers to studies weekly week 26 social studies? . They fired her unceremoniously. http://173.196.26.125/cdm/ref/collection/photos/id/30816, Betty Grable's youngest daughter at funeral service. She often worried about starring opposite well-known leading men. Betty Grable was interred in Inglewood Park Cemetery, in Inglewood, California. They looked out just in time to see Rafts lackey cursing and limping away from his failed surveillance mission, having just fallen from the tree he had posted up in. Grable came back to the spotlight with the 1947 film,The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, but the film was overshawdowed by her succeeding project Mother Wore Tights, with one of her most frequent co-stars Dan Dailey. In 1947, the United States Treasury Department noted that she was the highest paid star in America, earning about $300,000 a year - a phenomenal sum even by today's standards. Grable next starred in Walter Lang's Mother Wore Tights, released in September 1947, co-starring Dan Dailey. daughters children and others? Hosiery specialists of the era often noted the ideal proportions of her legs and thighs (18.5in (47cm)), calf (12in (30cm)), and ankle (7.5in (19cm)). She agreed to make How to Be Very, Very Popular (1955) for Fox on the assurance Marilyn Monroe would be her co-star. Ouch. Career Early career: 1929-1939 She is survived by her brother, Bill Hansen, seven children (Bonnie, Betty, Jackie, Billie, Gary, Lary and Lori), 20 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren, two. alcoholic, this did not end the bitterness of the two girls. Her famous pin-up pose during World War II adorned barracks all around the world. The studio refused, and she went on strike, which led to her being replaced by Marilyn Monroe in the movie adaptation of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)[44] and by June Haver in the musical comedy The Girl Next Door (also 1953). At that years Academy Awards, actress Anne Baxter won the Oscar for her performance in The Razors Edge. She became a very successful actress and soon became the highest paid female star in Hollywood. [36] The film also suffered from indifferent ticket sales and lost money. After time off to give birth to her daughter, Grable returned to Fox to star in Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe (1945), co-starring Dick Haymes and Phil Silvers. In 1965, she divorced band leader Harry James, whom she had wed in 1943. It was 1916 - Marjorie was 6 and their little son John had just died. Betty Grablewas born onDecember 18, 1916, in St. Louis, Missourias the youngest child of Lillian Rose (ne Hofmann) and John Charles Grable. Without Grable's movies, which generated large profits, the studio struggled to stay afloat. In 1951, Grable made an up-to-date remake of her 1941 film, A Yank in the RAF, which was now titled, Call Me Mister, which was the last time Grable ever appeared in a film with Dan Dailey. In 1955, she did attempt to return to acting in Samuel Goldwyn's film version of Guys and Dolls (1955). [18][19] In Hollywood, Grable studied at the Hollywood Professional School and the Ernest Blecher Academy of Dance. Nicknamed "Betty" as a child, she was pressured by her mother to become a performer. Grable immediately thereafter began filming When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948), co-starring Dan Dailey, which became a blockbuster, cementing Grable and Dailey's status as a bankable movie duo. 2011. Between the two of them, they lost over $24 million gambling in Las Vegas, squandering Grables fortune. Betty Grable was a beloved Hollywood actress that became the highest-paid star of her time after working her way up for years in the entertainment industry.Contents of this video00:00 - Intro00:32 - Body06:56 - OutroLike this content? After 1939, the 23-year-old Grable felt so washed up, she tried to retire from films altogether. The second movie, I Wake Up Screaming, released in November, had Grable receiving top billing as Jill Lynn, the sister of a young model who is murdered. In a 1940 interview, she said that she was "sick and tired" of show business and had decided to retire, but changed her mind - she received an unsolicited offer to go on a personal appearance tour, which she accepted and which led to Darryl F. Zanuck offering her a bigger contract, which she accepted, and which was followed by a part in Buddy DeSylva's Broadway show Du Barry Was a Lady and a part replacing the suddenly ill Alice Faye in Down Argentine Way. The tour brought Grable to the attention of Darryl F. Zanuck, the head of 20th Century-Fox, who offered her a long-term contract. wife and mother? Ultimate Radio Shows. But this led to one utterly harrowing story. She was the youngest of three children born to Lillian Rose (ne Hofmann; 1889-1964) and John Charles Grable (1883-1954), a stockbroker. Spouse/Ex-: Harry James (m.1943-1965), Jackie Coogan (m.1937-1939), children: Jessica James, Victoria Elizabeth James, place of death: Santa Monica, California, United States, Ancestry: Dutch American, German American, British American, Irish American, (Thriller, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Romance, Film-Noir), See the events in life of Betty Grable in Chronological Order, (Actress and Dancer Best Known for Her Films: Mother Wore Tights and How to Marry a Millionaire), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETTNGKZlbKY. Harry James, proud parent of Vicki and Jessica. However, Betty still had a few years to go before she attained this kind of celebrity status. The couple divorced in 1965. Grable quickly became an acting, singing and dancing triple threat. Learn more about the collections in Calisphere. Wabash Avenue, was a up-to-date remake of Grable's 1943 film Coney Island, and, she again co-starred with Dan Dailey for My Blue Heaven; both films are known as musical classics. Moon Over Miami. Over the next few years, however, she was again relegated to uncredited minor roles in a series of films, many of which became worldwide successes, such as Cavalcade (1933). Grable was kind and loving at heart, and she eventually reconciled with Zanuck. There was just one problem. Although Grable rode her legs to stardom,she paid a grotesque price for her fame. Among his eight wives were Evelyn Keyes, who played Mrs. Jolson in The Jolson Story, and Kathleen Winsor, the best-selling naughty. When Grable returned to Paramount, she began a new phase in her career; the studio began casting her in a series of college-aimed movies, usually having her portray a nave student. When adjusted for inflation, this still remains a fairly exuberant sum to this day.While many other stars that delved into pin-up work around the same time as Betty went on to regret it, she never did. Her mother groomed her for a career in show business from an early age. Though Grable received no billing, she led the opening number, "Cowboys." Every item on Calisphere has been contributed to the site by a California institution. Directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, the movie was a traditional black-and-white film noir, containing a combination of suspense and romance. Who is Katy mixon body double eastbound and down season 1 finale? father: John Conn Grable (1883-1954) mother: Lillian Rose Hofmann (1889-1964) children: Jessica James, Victoria Elizabeth James Born Country: United States Actresses American Women Height: 5'4" (163 cm ), 5'4" Females Died on: July 2, 1973 place of death: Santa Monica, California, United States However, Grable's next film, When My Baby Smiles at Me (1948), was a smash success; this film again co-starred Dan Dailey. https://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org/history-and-heritage/dutch_a http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Grable. She was, apparently, never schooled beyond the seventh grade. Hyman (born Barbara Davis Sherry, to Davis and her third husband William Grant Sherry), at the time of filming for What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?,. [2], She replaced Alice Faye in Down Argentine Way (1940), her first major Hollywood film, and became Fox's biggest film star throughout the next decade. too busy making movies and having affairs to care too much about Grable's last musical film appearance was in Three for the Show (1955) with up-and-coming comedian Jack Lemmon. During the shoot, she took several photos in a tight, one-piece bathing suit. Sweet Rosie O'Grady (1943), her follow-up feature, was equally successful at the box office, but it failed to obtain the same critical favor. At the time of its release, the film received positive reviews, with many critics singling out the obvious on-screen chemistry between Grable and Power. LAS VEGAS, Nev., April 2 (AP) Vicki James, 20yearold daughter of Betty Grable and Harry James, is engaged to a fellow University of Arizona student, William Wiley Bivens. But there was good reason for this particular set-up. These films helped to bring Grable's star back to the public but it seemed as if Betty's career was nearing its end. Naughty Facts About Bettie Page, The Original Pin-Up, Stabbed In The Back: These Real-Life Betrayals Are Straight Up Brutal, These People Shared The Worst Moments Of Their LivesAnd Theyre Utterly Brutal, These Eerie Supernatural Experiences Sent A Chill Down Our Spines, These Mega Embarrassing Moments Still Made Us Burst Out Laughing, "The Bride Kissed The Best Man" And Other Real-Life Wedding Disasters. As the starlet once quipped, I became a star for two reasons, and Im standing on them.. Go get yours. On July 2, 1973, the American screen legend passed at the tender age of 56, without any chance for a comeback. Wabash Avenue was released in May 1950, and was a box-office hit. [13] Grable's photograph sold millions of copies, eventually surpassing the popularity of Rita Hayworth's famous 1941 photo.[33]. Hnt pidetn ensimmisen ja alkuperisen pin-up-tyttn ja amerikkalaisena ikonina. Mother Wore Tights was a major-success (Fox's most successful film of 1947) and is today known as Grable's "signature film.". There are fifteen Thoroughbreds in the Grable-James stables. Grable and James, naughty couple that they were, were in the middle of a big bedroom romp when all of a sudden, they heard a load THUMP and a series of groans from outside their window. Despite her success, she suffered from a fear of crowds and sleepwalking. She reluctantly agreed to make Call Me Mister (1951) with Dan Dailey, a loose musical remake of A Yank in the R.A.F.. The No.1 pin-up girl of the World War II era, her photograph in a bathing suit pose went on to achieve iconic status and was included in the project "100 Photographs that Changed the World" by the Life magazine. Coogan was still in the middle of a lawsuit against his parents (child stars, amirite?) Realizing her time was done, Grable stepped away from the limelight in 1955and went straight to her demise. He and Betty Grable were engaged in 1935 and married on November 20, 1937, and they divorced on October 11, 1939. "If that's not luck I don't know what you'd call it" Grable said. By 1943, with Grable being named one of the "top ten movie-stars" in the world, and becoming 20th Century Fox's top money maker; Darryl F. Zanuck (Fox's chief) soon named Grable his "favorite" contract-player. In fact, Grable and Monroe got along famously; Grable reportedly told Monroe: "Go and get yours, honey! View our statement on digital primary resources. Mass Market Paperback. The story was about a singer who hopes for a better future when she marries an English duke. Pin Up Girl co-starred comedians Martha Raye and Joe E. Brown and was released in April 1944 to overwhelming success at the box-office. Her 1951 film Meet Me After the Show was one of the last musicals she appeared in. Grable retired from screen acting in 1955 after she withdrew from her Fox contract, but she continued to perform on the stage and on television. Betty Mae Grable passed away on March 20, 2014. Grable's performance of the song "Down Argentine Way" is considered a highlight of the film. The film was a lavish Technicolor musical and co-starred Don Ameche and Carmen Miranda. Less than a decade later, 20th Century Fox would literally ensure Bettys legs for a million dollars. She preferred to star in up-beat and outlandish musicals, many of which followed the generic boy-meets-girl story tack. Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. [60], Grable has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6525 Hollywood Boulevard. Down Argentine Way. They were so popular, they even spawned a lyric in song sung by WWII GI's,"I want a gal, just like the gal, who married Harry . In 1929, when Betty was just 12 years old, they packed up from St. Louis, Missouri and moved to Hollywood to try and hit it big. Pigskin Parade was supposed to be Betty Grables big break, but what it really did was earn the starlet her first rival. Betty Grable had "million-dollar legs" and million-dollar taste as evinced by her beautiful, classic Hollywood home in Bel-Air. Grable was particularly noted for having the most beautiful legs in Hollywood and studio publicity widely dispersed photos featuring them. Sister of Victoria Elizabeth James. Why was the decision Roe v. Wade important for feminists? Yikes. Our credibility is the turbo-charged engine of our success. Afterward, Grable wanted the role of Miss Adelaide in the 1956 film Guys and Dolls, but the role went to Vivian Blaine after Grable skipped a meeting with the film's producer, due to the fact that her pet dog was sick. For all her immense fame, this girl just couldnt seem to catch a casting break. Her legs were insured for $1,000,000. To hide her baby hump, she turned her back to the camera, and a legend was born. The film showcased Grable's photo in several brief glimpses. The daughter of a highly ambitious woman, Betty was groomed for stardom from a very young age. Freeze Frame: The single photo that made Betty Grable the number-one pin-up girl during WWII. Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe. Betty would go on to be signed by RKO Pictures, but wouldnt find much success with the studio after being given her contract.In 1937, Betty married former child star, Jackie Coogan. Just kidding, I dont wonder at all. Uh. Grable died in 1973 at age 56 of lung cancer. She was entombed at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. take care of her 7 daughters. Rita Hayworth popularized the pin-up, but it was Betty Grable who became its most famous model. On August 10, 1941, he married Flower Parry (d.1981). The Definitive Betty Grable Collection. But that didn't mean her life was perfector even well-adjusted. He and Betty Grable had two daughters: Victoria Elizabeth James (born 3 March 1944), and Jessica James (born 20 May 1947). She then officially retired from motion-picture acting. "I've had contracts with four studios in 10 years and each time I left one or was dropped, I stepped into something better.". It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World". She played Cynthia Pilgrim, a college student who graduated at the top of her typewriting class during the first year of the Packard Business College. The exhausted starlet took up on Broadway instead in the musical DuBarry Was a Lady. Only 13 years old, Grable lied about her age and landed chorus girl parts in several Hollywood musicals. In a 1940 interview, Grable stated she was "sick and tired" of show business and that she was considering retirement. 'Passionate attachments' -- subject(s): Fathers and [62], Her iconic pin-up image was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential Photographs of All Time. 2013. Grable played the leading roles in these films, which led to her being typecast as an innocent and not-so-bright college student. At the start of WWII, Hollywood opened up the Hollywood Canteen for enlisted men who were on the verge of service. Her husband is Harry James (5 July 1943 - 9 October 1965) ( divorced) ( 2 children), Jackie Coogan (20 November 1937 - 8 October 1940) ( divorced) Betty Grable Net Worth Her net worth has been growing significantly in 2020-2021. Grable entered into a relationship with a dancer, Bob Remick, several years her junior. On slow days, Lillian would present Betty at casual gatherings and demand that the girl perform for the adults on command. Betty Grable had several nicknames during her career like: "the girl with the million dollar legs," "the quick-silver blonde," "the queen of the Hollywood musical," and "the darling of the forties." The girls were left nothing when it came to the end. As the Lily sisters, both Grable and Faye received favorable reviews for their performances.